BEST PRACTICES, POLICIES & GUIDELINES FOR USE OF
UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS (UTAS)
2007-08
I. Tasks
Undergraduates can fulfill several roles as UTAs, depending on the particular needs of a
department and the nature of the course/lab to which the UTA is assigned. Below is a list of functions
UTAs may serve in Trinity College:
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Assisting course instructor with class preparation and course materials (e.g., setting up AV
equipment or lab specimens, maintaining course website, photocopying)
Assisting students in help rooms or review sessions outside of class time
Leading discussion sections or labs
Assisting course instructor with grading (e.g., homework, quizzes, lab reports)
Note on Grading: Faculty are responsible for assigning and submitting all grades. UTAs may, however,
assist faculty with the grading process. Individual departments should determine the type of grading
permitted by UTAs based on what is appropriate for their level of knowledge and experience, and the
nature of the material being evaluated. Within this context UTAs can implement well-delineated grading
criteria protocols. UTAs should not be allowed to develop their own grading rubric for any assignment.
Departments using UTAs in grading roles should provide a procedure for re-grade requests in the event
that a student disagrees with a grade given by a UTA. Departments should also provide UTAs with a
protocol for grading problems that have more than one solution and/or where students may come up with
unique answers not in the grading rubric.
UTAs should only be able to view grades that they have personally recorded. In courses where
UTAs are assigned to particular lab or discussion sections, UTAs should only have access to grades they
have recorded for students in their section. UTAs are not permitted to access, calculate or enter official
midterm or final course grades. For this reason, UTAs may not be assigned a Teacher’s Assistant or
Grader role in Blackboard or STORM.
The specific tasks required of UTAs should be provided, in writing, to any student who serves in
this role for a Trinity College course. UTAs should not be asked to perform tasks that are not specified in
their position description.
II. Selection
The process by which students become UTAs may vary depending on the particular needs of
departments. UTAs may be recruited and hired on the basis of faculty recommendations. Departments
that must employ several UTAs each semester may have a formalized search procedure, involving a job
announcement, an application submission period, and interviews. Alternatively, other departments may
hire UTAs more opportunistically; for instance, a UTA position may be filled when an individual student
approaches a faculty member or the DUS directly about possible employment opportunities in the
department. Ideally, UTAs will be assigned to faculty members taking into consideration mutual
intellectual interests and the potential for collaboration in course work, research, etc.
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Undergraduates serving as UTAs should have earned an above-average grade in the course (or its
equivalent) in which they assist, with grades being commensurate with the responsibilities of the position.
The UTA may also demonstrate knowledge of the material by performing well in more advanced courses.
Prospective UTAs should be judged to be mature and willing and able to learn to function as
professionals in fulfilling all aspects of their teaching responsibilities.
III. Training
UTAs should have training in the specific content of their teaching responsibilities as well as
general training on the professional aspects of teaching. This training should occur before the UTA starts
teaching and may require that they return to campus prior to the beginning of classes. Each department
utilizing UTAs should provide UTAs with a written guide or handbook, which provides appropriate
information needed to carry out their responsibilities in a professional manner. Some suggestions for
information that should be included in the training and/or guide are:
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Name(s) of person(s): (a) having ultimate responsibility for policy decisions in the courses
in which they are assisting, and (b) having responsibility for their mentoring and
supervision
Expectations regarding grading, including
- Proper record keeping of students' grades
- Returning papers in a timely fashion
- Confidentiality of student records
Expectations regarding how to handle situations in which students miss deadlines or who
have excessive absences
Limitations on scheduling extra help sessions and procedures for reserving rooms for help
sessions
The URLs for academic or personal help resources on campus (academic deans’ offices,
Academic Resource Center, Peer Tutoring Program, Athletic Tutoring Program, CAPS)
Promoting academic integrity and how to handle cases of suspected academic dishonesty
University policies on tutoring students in their classes, dating students in their classes,
grading papers of students they are dating or tutoring, and sexual harassment
How to respond to an emergency situation such as how to exit a building in case of fire
Liability in case of a classroom accident caused by instructor negligence
IV. Supervision & Mentoring
A faculty member having the responsibility for the assigning of grades in a course also has the
ultimate responsibility for the performance of UTAs serving in that course. The faculty member may
delegate the direct supervision of UTAs to others such as a lab manager or a graduate student. The
faculty member (or his/her designate) is expected to meet with UTAs regularly (usually weekly) to inform
them about the material covered, the approach taken in presenting the material, the approach the UTA
should take to reinforce the material, evaluative exercises and upcoming deadlines. UTAs may also be
expected to provide valuable feedback to the faculty member on how well the students are learning the
material.
The UTA position provides students with a unique opportunity to receive faculty mentoring, and
it is Trinity College’s expectation that all UTAs, regardless of the actual tasks of their position, benefit
intellectually from their experience. Regular meetings or opportunities for conversations with the course
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instructor should not be limited to reviewing the UTAs assignments, but also serve as times for students
and faculty members to discuss current issues in the discipline, mutual scholarly interests, and future
opportunities for the UTA in terms of research, graduate work, or careers.
V. Evaluation
UTAs should be systematically evaluated at the end of the course to which they have been
assigned. Departments are expected to design assessment methods appropriate to the tasks and roles
fulfilled by the UTA, but must include written feedback from the students who were instructed by the
UTA through discussion sections, labs, help rooms, and/or review sessions. Anyone who assisted in
supervising the UTA (such as a course instructor, lab manager, graduate student, etc.) should also be
invited to provide comments on the UTA's performance based on their observations. The results of these
evaluations should be taken into consideration in any future hiring of the UTA. The forms completed by
students or summaries thereof should be returned to the UTA after grades have been submitted for the
course. The UTA may want to share the results of the evaluation with persons writing letters of
recommendation for him/her.
VI. Compensation & Workload
The amount of compensation for UTAs is to be determined at the discretion of the hiring
department within the range for compensation set each year by the Office of the Dean of Trinity College.
During the 2007-08 academic year, UTA hourly pay ranges from $7.25 to $12.75. To comply with
University policy, all UTAs must fill out timecards and be paid biweekly. The University does not permit
lump sum payments to UTAs.
Trinity College does not allow the use of academic credit as payment for UTAs. Students cannot
be enrolled in a course in which they are concurrently serving as a UTA. If UTA-type work is required as
part of a credit-bearing independent study experience, a written proposal describing the nature of the UTA
work and the rationale for it as part of the student's intellectual experience should be submitted to the
Dean of Trinity College. If academic credit is approved for UTA-type work, the student may not also
receive monetary compensation.
Departments should ensure that UTA responsibilities do not adversely affect students' ability to
complete their own academic work. While there is no set minimum or maximum number of hours that
UTAs may work, the recommended workload is 5-15 hours/week.
VII. Confidentiality
An important responsibility of the course instructor is to ensure that UTAs understand the need to
protect student privacy and confidentiality in all aspects of the course, including grading. Suggested
guidelines for UTAs include the following:
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Academic and/or personal information about a student that is brought to the attention of a
UTA through his/her instructional/grading role in the course should not be shared with
anyone but the course instructor.
Grades or other assessments of student performance must not be discussed with anyone
other than the student and the course instructor.
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When in the UTA's possession homework and other graded assignments must be stored
securely and not left out in areas where they could be viewed inappropriately.
VIII. Relationships Between UTAs and Students
It is inappropriate for UTAs to date students in their section, or to be assigned students whom
they have dated in the past. Course instructors should request that their UTAs inform them of any
possible conflicts of interest if someone they are dating or have previously dated is in their section, and/or
if they are asked to grade a paper or assignment of someone they are dating or have previously dated. It is
also inappropriate for UTAs to grade the work of a student whom they are currently tutoring. UTAs
should disclose conflicts of interest to the course instructor/UTA supervisor, who should then reassign the
student's work to another UTA and find another grader, respectively.
UTAs should be directed to the University Policy regarding sexual harassment.
(http://www.duke.edu/web/equity/har_policy.htm) UTAs should be made aware that sexual harassment
of students by an instructor or teaching assistant in an academic environment is understood to be the
intentional misuse of authority.
IX. Codicil
Summer Session UTAs (effective 2005 Summer Sessions)
The above guidelines should be following for UTAs employed during summer session. Requests
for additional compensation due to completing UTA responsibilities in the timeframe of summer session
should be sent to Dean Paula Gilbert, who will review the request with the Dean of Trinity College.
These requests should be submitted annually and should be factored into departmental budgets.
Notes:
1) The current setup of Blackboard allows Teacher’s Assistants and Graders to have access to most
aspects of the course through the Control Panel and all areas under Assessment, respectively. This
access means that individuals in these two roles can view and enter grades for all students
enrolled in the course, including midterm and final grades. Although only the course instructor
can submit midterm and final course grades through the Blackboard interface with STORM,
Teacher’s Assistant and Grader access to Blackboard is such that grades they enter or manipulate
can affect midterm and final grades. Therefore, UTAs should not be given a Teacher’s Assistant
or Grader role in Blackboard.
2) Future versions of Blackboard and/or alternative electronic course management systems used by
the university may include features where different access levels to grades can be assigned to
Teacher’s Assistants and Graders. As new features come online, UTA policies and guidelines will
be updated, as appropriate.
Tcdocs/undergraduate teaching assistants/UTA best practices 2007-08.doc
Last updated10/17/2007 (MR).
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